Legs · Kettlebell
Overhead Lunge
How to do the overhead lunge, the muscles it works, and the mistakes to avoid. Pulled straight from the Kovo app's exercise library.
- Equipment
- Kettlebell
- Difficulty
- Advanced
- Logged as
- Weighted reps
- Movement
- Lunge
- Mechanic
- Compound
How to do it
Stand tall with feet hip-width apart. Step forward with one leg and lower your body until both knees are bent at 90 degrees. Push through the front heel to return to the starting position and repeat on the other side.
- 1Hold the kettlebell overhead and feel your shoulder and core stabilize
- 2Drive through your front heel and engage your quads and glutes
- 3Maintain an upright torso throughout the lunge
Common mistakes
- Don't wobble or let the weight drift forward
- Avoid letting your front knee track beyond your toes
- Don't arch your lower back, keep your ribs down
Muscles worked
The overhead lunge mainly works the quads and glutes, with the hamstrings and calves assisting.
- QuadsPrimary
- GlutesPrimary
- HamstringsSupport
- CalvesSupport
- Lower BackMinor
- Upper AbsMinor
Overhead Lunge strength standards
See how your overhead lunge ranks, from Bronze to Champion. These are the same standards the Kovo app uses to rank your lifts.
Bronzee1RM10 lb
Silvere1RM18 lb
Golde1RM26 lb
Platinume1RM39 lb
Diamonde1RM57 lb
Champione1RM70 lb
Find your rank
Enter your best set. We estimate your 1RM and match it to a tier.
Kovo tracks this rank automatically as you train, across every lift, and levels you up as you get stronger.
Kovo programs the overhead lunge for you and tracks it every session.
We build your whole program, drop the right lifts into each workout, and adjust your weights as you get stronger. Free on iOS and Android.
More quads exercises
- How to do the resistance band squat
- How to do the resistance band squat to press
- How to do the resistance band thruster
- How to do the resistance band squat walk
- How to do the barbell squat
- How to do the barbell bulgarian split squat
Last reviewed April 2026.